trim work

Reply to: Hardi is more stable than pvc. I like axek for small trim components, hardi for flat stock. Hardi can also be painted dark colors which pvc generally can't.

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Reply to: We also used Azek as trim with our pre-painted HardiShingles and are glad we did. Our builder really liked working with Azek since it's light-weight and so consistent (no knot-holes, etc.). He even did some bending of it, although that was quite a challenge! Although it technically doesn't require painting, we painted it with a 50-year BM exterior white paint so it would match the white of some of our decorative trim pieces (brackets, crossheads, etc.). We also caulked the nailholes, although they weren't as obvious as we expected because our builder used smaller nails. We're hoping the Azek will never need to be repainted! By the way, we were very glad we got our HardiShingles pre-painted and we didn't have any problems. They were painted by a company called Weiss who gives a 25-year warranty. Weiss has a nice range of colors or will paint a custom color. They're a good company that stands behind their product. Here's a photo showing some of our Azek trim next to HardiShingles. Even the flower box is made from Azek! I should mention that the paladian crosshead in the photo is not Azek. It's by a company called "Custom Decorative Moulding" ("CDM"). We really like CDM products and found their company to be extremely helpful. Their products can be made to custom sizes (as this crosshead was) and they come pre-painted in white - - although not the same shade of white as Azek. P.S. If you decide to paint Azek, our painter learned that it takes special prep first. Not hard, just different.

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Reply to: This is how an Azek Historic Sill (sub-sill) would be installed:

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Reply to: You should install a cellular PVC sub-sill for any of these reasons: 1) The sill profile is not steep enough to quickly shed water and/or there is no drip or siding notch under the sill overhang so there is a greater risk of water penetration. (this is not the case with the Andersen 400 but it is for Marvin, Pella, JeldWen, etc. aluminum clad wood windows) 2) You want "sill horns" for a more historic window appearance instead of a modern "picture frame" appearance popular with builders and developers. (note: flat trim under a window sill is not a "sub-sill") 3) You want a thicker sill for a more historic window appearance instead of the typically thin ones of modern nail-fin windows (the Andersen 400 sill nose is about 1" and the sill of Marvin, Pella, JeldWen, etc. aluminum clad windows is about 1/2" .... An historic sill nose would be 1 1/2" thick or larger.) Here is a Marvin ultimate DH with a historic factory made cellular PVC sub-sill added below the sill with sill horns: Another thing to be aware of is that an Andersen 400 has a thick frame that adds about 5/8" to the apparent width of the casing trim so a 3 1/2" wide trim will appear to be 4 1/8" wide. The frame also stands about 1/2" proud of standard 3/4" thick casing trim. If you like that strong shadow line that's fine; if you don't, try a thicker 5/4" casing trim (5/4" is actually 1" thick)

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Reply to: Jeld-Wen's MiraTEC is a composite board made with wood fiber and phenolic resin with a zinc borate preservative. It competes primarily with fiber-cement composites and has a longer warranty. It is said to be 50% cheaper than cellular PVC and 25% cheaper than fiber-cement.

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Reply to: Wood and Cellular PVC expand and contract differently in different environments so combining long lengths of these two materials should be done with that in mind. Ask if you can see an installation of this combination that has been in use for more than a few years.

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Reply to: Our trim will be made of of a combination of materials - soffit out of Hardie products, fascia out of pvc and molding between fascia and eaves out of some sort of wood. Our builder says that because the moulding between the fascia and eaves is so protected it is not necessary to spend the (significant) extra to have it made out of pvc, at least in our climate. He believes this package is a cost efficient but low maintenance solution (still have to paint but we would anyway because our trim is not a stark white but more of a cream)

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Reply to: There is hardy board, cedar, cellular pvc and aluminum wrap. I really like the pvc but it takes a good installer to know its various issues to get the best job. Its a costly upgrade but you have to take into account the possibilty you dont have to paint it( if you like white trim)saving that costs now or every 5-6 years. Trex, Kleer, Azek, Koma,fypon are all brands of pvc. some are denser or the white is brighter and so on. Also cost varies.

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Reply to: Red cedar can be left to weather and cellular PVC doesn't require paint but the installation blemishes will show. Urethane foam trim might be able to be left unpainted but I've never used it.

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Reply to: A lot of higher end homes here have been using primed Paulownia for fascia and other trim. The results have been quite good. It is light, strong and very rot & decay resistant. Takes stain quite well. I think the only drawback is that it is not as naturally insect resistant as some other products so perhaps not a great solution in areas where insects are a major problem.

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Reply to: Of the regular engineered stock available, I would choose LP smartside over Hardie and Miratec. We have begun our first job with Boral TruExterior and it's definitely the best engineered product we've used but pricey. I think the extra costs will be recouped through lower upfront labor and future maintenance needs. The other three are very problematic to install as joints and fastener penetrations must be meticulously detailed to prevent moisture damage. Boral does not need this level of detail. It is rated for ground contact and does not soak up water at cuts and nicks. It's extremely frustrating how the tiniest unprotected areas of the cheaper versions will soak up water and start pushing off the paint in the surrounding areas. If using the cheaper versions, I would definitely be in favor of protecting them with metal. Having rotted fascia behind the metal suggests it was already rotting when covered or improper detailing of the roof weather barrier.

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Reply to: I've decided on a Hardie fascia, MiraTec soffit and MiraTec frieze board.

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